Barbara Bush

The Global Health movement has grown beyond its earliest ideals, encompassing professionals of all manner and kind. The reality of Ebola, today, shows us that all of us, undeniably, play a part in the health of our communities. No-longer can we blame cultural practices, or hide behind the hope of miraculous signs and wonders – today, we all actively take part in the shape and form of our health. Or God forbid, we die.

The GHC Model takes a young and passionate generation of global health enthusiasts and places them at the forefront of health care, in deserving communities. For 1 year, I served as a fellow, I learned, I grew and now I am a sold out advocate. But the journey for health equity is a journey of a lifetime. GHC has launched Alumni programs across the 2 continents, to keep the candle burning.

Fellows, Alumni and Friends, today, I present to you the GHC Alumni Agenda.

Alumni are critical to the mission of mobilizing a community of emerging leaders to build the movement for health equity. 6 years after the first class, there are now more alumni than fellows. Alums are unique because after the fellowship, they are blown by winds further and in more industries than GHC could have managed to place them. While there, their collective experiences can still be harnessed towards improving the health of those most in need, both in their own countries and beyond. GHC is committed to supporting alumni in their leadership development and involvement in the global health equity movement.

The alumni program is guided by GHC’s leadership practices and framework that integrates professional development, interior formation and intellectual formation within the context of the self, world and community. GHC believes that leadership qualities and skills crucial to achieving social change and progress in global health are not innate and require regular attention and practice.

GHC leaders (Fellows and Alumni) are agents of change who: Are committed to social justice; Collaborate; Inspire and mobilize others; Adapt and innovate; Are self-aware and committed to learning; and Get results.

To date, Alumni Committees have been established in all countries where GHC has fellows. It is the role of the Alumni Committee, facilitated by the GHC Program Manager in that country, to determine the priority activities and approaches for the year. This strategy should reflect strategies that reflect on GHC’s vision of movement building and in particular, goals for the alumni program and our approach to leadership development.

We have ambitious plans, to hold a sports gala for our placement organisations, and a hackathon to solve pressing needs for KCCA. We also plan to support each other in personal endeavors. We will expand the annual East Africa alumni retreat in January 2015, as well as supporting the recruitment of new GHC fellows

Similar to GHC’s fellowship programming, the Uganda Alumni committee would like to achieve the following objectives for Alumni and fellows:

Knowledge Sharing and Communications – We would like to see alumni interact with each other in ways that sharpen one another, including targeted workshop sessions. Alumni should tap into each other’s wealth of experience and knowledge in health and development and allow for greater information sharing and collective wisdom.

Community Building and Networking: We hope that Alumni achieve the objective of remaining plugged and connected post-fellowship. We will enjoy our company as well as that of new partnerships and relationships. We will encourage networking opportunities and even work/project collaborations. We will support GHC recruitment for new fellow classes, because we would like to add the best to our community.

Professional Development: Even as Alumni, we hope that you continue to prioritize skills development and the sharing of professional resources to allow alums to better perform in their jobs and open the doors to new opportunities. Moreover, Alums are already signed up to support fellows, as part of the mentor-ship program.

Accompaniment/Self-care: As members of the Global Health Corps community, we live out our values through our behavior and our dealings with others. We transcend ourselves and our immediate identity as we expand our circle of care and concern to include our organizations, our fellow corps members and, last but not least, the very communities we are called to serve in throughout our careers.

I encourage the Global Health Corp Alumni to support the Alumni country program. Together, we continue to achieve the dream for health equity and social justice.

So am all packed up and ready to head home – after 15days at the GHC Training Institute, hosted at the famed Yale University. This past few days, my cheese has moved, in interactions with great people like Barbara Bush, Havard Business School’s Rob Kaplan, and Phil Wilson of the Black AIDS Institute.

And my life has been dramatically changed! I am a Global Health Corp – or rather, simply put:

I belong to a community of young passionate leaders who, now more strongly than ever before, share a common belief that Health is a Human Right. And I believe that I have my own share of the work to use social justice to being about Health Equity.

I embrace the philosophy of active problem solving, and engaging global partnerships in order to bring about real and sustainable change. I need the complete spectrum of life itself, in skills, experiences, and perspectives from people like you in order bring about a serious change in global health.

Architects, Nurses, Computer Scientists and people like You from allover the world – break down walls to unite and enact expertise from all disciplines and backgrounds. Together, we support Global Health Equity Movement.

I am a Challengers, I am a Thinkers, and I am a Change Maker. I am, a Global Health Corp.